How do you guide your Rc 6"

[Astroblagger]

Iv recently aquired a Rc 6", iv used my 50mm finder guider for ever.... but not sure its suited to the focal length of this scope iv got an st-80 handy but not sure how to get it all connected with the Rc 6". Can you show me how you do yours or do you use a OAG? OAG sounds too fidlly for my liking.  

[Same old newbie alert]

Oag can be awkward initially to setup but once done it's simple

Once you've done it and set it up correctly it's no more fiddly than a separate guidescope... 

Have your  imaging camera at the correct spacing and focus..measure the distance from the prism to the sensor and the put the guide camera sensor at the same measurement incorporating the backfocus distance... Fine tune for better star shapes, or you can test during the day if you can see something far enough away..

[fireballxl5]

I've only been using my RC6 for a couple of months but I did start imaging with an OAG. This was with an APS-C camera and so the guider star shapes were very poor even with 'sacrificing' some of the sensor area to allow the diagonal to be positioned closer to the optical axis of the scope.  Use of a flattener wasn't much help as although it allowed fuller use of the sensor, star quality still wasn't great further out of the image circle. 

 I've now moved on to use of a 70mm guide scope, actually an f/4 finder. Much easier and reliable guiding based on the single opportunity last weekend. 

[Adreneline]

Using an EvoGuide+ASI290mm-mini - works a treat.

The counter weight at the front is my CEM25 standing behind my AZ-EQ6.

Adrian

[Astroblagger]

Thats the set up id like, where did you get the bar and we mini clamps on the scope from? is that guider basically the same as my 9x50 finder guider? also do you think an heq5 is pushing it as a mount, iv been looking at getting an eq6 someday.....

[Adreneline]

1 hour ago, Astroblagger said:

where did you get the bar and we mini clamps on the scope from?

Everything comes from FLO with the exception of the orange Geoptik Vixen bar which came from RVO.

The ADM clamp and Geoptik bar are permanently attached to the AZ-EQ6 and allow me to .....

... either attach my 6" RC .....

... or my RedCat .....

The little mini clamps (also from FLO) provide reassurance when mounting/demounting the OTA - I can slacken the ADM clamp without fear of the whole OTA sliding to the ground before I have a firm hold and can slide it up out of the ADM clamp.

The EvoGuide has a focal length of 242mm - well suited to the RC - with a helical focuser. I used to use a 9x50 but the EvoGuide works better for me.

I cannot comment on the HEQ5 - my previous mount was the NEQ6-Pro which I sold three years ago. I would have thought an HEQ5 would do the job. (My CEM25-EC will take the RC - it's getting toward the weight limit but I have used it successfully unguided).

HTH.

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Adreneline